Arjuna Gunarathne (b.1976) is a visual artist from Sri Lanka, currently based in London, UK. Drawing from personal experience and observations of migrant communities in London suburbs, Gunarathne’s work offers a nuanced exploration of belonging, loneliness, community dynamics, and the complexities of immigrant life in a foreign land. The artist work exhibits an unrestrained use of colour, offering a whimsical interpretation of the artist's observations. Gunarathne frequently shifts between styles, techniques, and conventions from Mughal miniature traditions, mural painting, and British academic practice, in his attempt to synthesize a visual vocabulary that seamlessly blends the aesthetic qualities of the East and the West.
Gunarathne attended the Drawing Year Postgraduate program (2018) at the Royal Drawing School, London. Additionally, Gunerathne completed a Miniature Painting program (2004) at Beaconhouse National University, Lahore, and a four-year program (2004) at Vibhavi Academy of Art, Colombo.
Gunarathne has exhibited his work alongside other graduates of the Royal Drawing School in Celebrating the Coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III & Queen Camilla at Christie’s, London. His works have been exhibited at Akara Art, Mumbai (2024), India Art Fair (2024), Royal Drawing School Summer Show, London (2023); Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Colombo (2023); Dhaka Art Summit, Dhaka (2018), Space and the Museum of Ethnology, Vienna (2008).
Additionally, Gunarathne’s work has been published in The A-Z of Conflict (2016) by Raking Leaves Publications. His work also belongs to the Royal Art Collection, UK and the permanent collection of the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, New Delhi.